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...got a favourite? People often ask me about things I like to do when back in town and the parks are something I always enjoy. Hard to pinpoint why exactly but appreciate the high level of maintenance and the general lay outs, Strangely, well I think it’s strange, my most pleasurable walks are in the colder months, particularly on the morning of a frost, Regents Park from south to north is a regular stroll, though love those smaller inner city spaces like Tavistock Square. Of course, Queens Park is rarely off my mind.
The Heath - formative years, fighting with sticks and binlids, the fair, remote control boats, kites, cross country, concerts, smoking different things, blotting paper, and shot a rabbit with an air rifle, skinned it and my mate's chef dad cooked it for us. Holland Park - younger years, peacocks, squirrels, adventure playground, open air thatre, mum's exhibition at the orangery, later a mate's wedding reception there too (ran off in the middle to catch QPR Blackpool in a suit before heading back for the dinner). Scrubs - used to be shit. Football around broken bricks and glass and syringes. Now wild grasses and runs and the dog sprinting off and blackberries and watching the parakeets at dusk is something to behold. Stumbled across a polish couple in flagrante delecto al fresco in that copse in the middle following the hound.
Not played in years think my favourite hole was number 5 on the hill. Is the hill still there? Hit the flag once and had a few 2's on that but other times had 7 or 8's depending on flag placement and speed of green.
It's still there mate. Now and again the groundsman has a bit of a laugh with the pin position on that hole, siting it just on the edge of the slope, making it more difficult to play that bleedin' Augusta!
The record score amongst everyone I know who plays the course is 26 - 1 under par. My all time best is 28. It's a fiendish course, a proper leveller, mainly because they never cut the grass at the back of the greens and you can take 3 shots trying to get out of it, just after you've hit a near perfect tee shot...
Loved Greenwich Park with fantastic views down to Queens House, ancient Chestnut trees, Observatory, Meridian etc. Went there lots, especially towards the end of my mum's days whilst I could still get her in a wheelchair and take her out of the Nursing Home for an afternoon.
When my nippers (that's what Hants folk call their kids) were small and I lived at Sunbury, it was nice to take an early morning trip to Bushey Park or Kew Gardens - the latter was only 1d entry in those days.
Horniman's Gardens in Forest Hill, we lived within walking distance - again, great views (before they built some awful flats anyway) over London, a super museum and my dad has a commemorative bench facing the formal garden.
Richmond Park is wonderful and I can walk there from east Sheen where two grandchildren now live.
Beckenham Place Park in Borough of Lewisham as I was based there for a while in the 70s, illustrating bird books and other nature guides for the council. T'was also a beautiful Municipal Golf course but I see that the current council doesn't favour such provision for what is sees as the elite in our society.
I lived in roehampton for 16 and was right in the middle of Richmond Park,wimbledon common and Barnes common all within a short stroll. And QPR was only a 72 bus ride away. Happy days indeed.
Yeh Richmond Park is one of my favourite places. Born in Roehampton and spent most my childhood around there. I lived in Barnes for a while then we moved to Richmond on the hill. Amazing place to live looking back. I was a 5 minute walk away from the park. Lived in social housing on the estate on Queens rd before anyone thinks i lived next door to Mick Jagger.. lol
Yeh Richmond Park is one of my favourite places. Born in Roehampton and spent most my childhood around there. I lived in Barnes for a while then we moved to Richmond on the hill. Amazing place to live looking back. I was a 5 minute walk away from the park. Lived in social housing on the estate on Queens rd before anyone thinks i lived next door to Mick Jagger.. lol
Whereabouts in Roehampton did you live?We were in Harbridge Ave,just off Danebury Ave.We moves there from Battersea in 1968 and I moved in 1984,but my mum was there until about 1996.
Whereabouts in Roehampton did you live?We were in Harbridge Ave,just off Danebury Ave.We moves there from Battersea in 1968 and I moved in 1984,but my mum was there until about 1996.
Lovely thread for fans of our park-named football club. Which makes me wonder, are there any other clubs worldwide named after a park? There was a mention of actual "park rangers" on the radio the other day and I experienced a Pavlovian YOURRRRRS reaction.
Back to the topic, Hampstead Heath for me, including Parly Hill and Kenwood. It's magnificent: so big and varied, with wonderful views everywhere you look, swimming ponds, streams, meadows, woods, full of lovely nooks and valleys - I was lucky enough to grow up nearby yet can still get happily lost. The management of parks is vaguely mysterious to me - the Heath is a charity apparently, and who exacly runs the Royal Parks? Does her Maj choose the flowers in Regent's Park?
Lovely thread for fans of our park-named football club. Which makes me wonder, are there any other clubs worldwide named after a park? There was a mention of actual "park rangers" on the radio the other day and I experienced a Pavlovian YOURRRRRS reaction.
Back to the topic, Hampstead Heath for me, including Parly Hill and Kenwood. It's magnificent: so big and varied, with wonderful views everywhere you look, swimming ponds, streams, meadows, woods, full of lovely nooks and valleys - I was lucky enough to grow up nearby yet can still get happily lost. The management of parks is vaguely mysterious to me - the Heath is a charity apparently, and who exacly runs the Royal Parks? Does her Maj choose the flowers in Regent's Park?
[Post edited 4 Oct 2019 20:52]
Obviously there is the Scottish lot - us minus the 'Rangers' !
Bushy Park for me. In the days before things got safety conscious, in the kids play park they used to have a really tall slide, witch’s hat, one of those roundabouts that would trap your leg under if you weren’t careful, all on unforgiving concrete. And a large sandpit spotted with dog toffee.
So being born and bred in Ealing I have the following which bring back great memories during my time as a yoot.
Lammas, Walpole, Blondin, Pitshanger, Boston Manor, Gunnersbury, Elthorne, Bunny Park in Hanwell. Also used to play football in Ravenscourt & Hammersmith Park when I was at college at Lime Grove in the Bush.
Loved Greenwich Park with fantastic views down to Queens House, ancient Chestnut trees, Observatory, Meridian etc. Went there lots, especially towards the end of my mum's days whilst I could still get her in a wheelchair and take her out of the Nursing Home for an afternoon.
When my nippers (that's what Hants folk call their kids) were small and I lived at Sunbury, it was nice to take an early morning trip to Bushey Park or Kew Gardens - the latter was only 1d entry in those days.
Horniman's Gardens in Forest Hill, we lived within walking distance - again, great views (before they built some awful flats anyway) over London, a super museum and my dad has a commemorative bench facing the formal garden.
Richmond Park is wonderful and I can walk there from east Sheen where two grandchildren now live.
Beckenham Place Park in Borough of Lewisham as I was based there for a while in the 70s, illustrating bird books and other nature guides for the council. T'was also a beautiful Municipal Golf course but I see that the current council doesn't favour such provision for what is sees as the elite in our society.
I live down that way now - Horniman is great and had never heard of it before we moved here.
Beckenham Place Park, was a shame they got rid of the golf course, but it remains a huge and great big park, river, train tracks, woods - just a shame they don't have deer - could be SE London's Richmond Park. They have created a lake you can swim and kayak in now, but it's not started well and it's now banned for U8s.
From my childhood Richmond Park is No1 for me - used to go there as a kid and still go periodically now with mine. Ravenscourt Park I used to go and play football, tennis in and just meet friends. Regents Park when I was later, use to cycle up from S Bush Sunday mornings to play football there. Holland Park - adventure playground, always had someone injured swinging off that rope swing which would plant you back into the wooden ledge you'd just come off!
Others where I live now (SE London):
Brookmill Park - really small park, hardly a park, in Lewisham. But you can regularly see Kingfishers here - amazing.
Crystal Palace Park - Model Dinosaurs, small farm, great park all round.
Dulwich Park - Boating lake, lots of space, beautiful.
Blythe Hill Fields - great views over London - more of an open space on a hill overlooking London.
I work near Ravenscourt park and it is a beautiful park absolutely ruined by the millions of dogs and their sh*t that their posh owners (or overworked dog walkers) never seem to clear up. Awful round here.
dulwich Park is very nice.
Always loved Kensington Gardens on a Sunday morning as a kid
I live down that way now - Horniman is great and had never heard of it before we moved here.
Beckenham Place Park, was a shame they got rid of the golf course, but it remains a huge and great big park, river, train tracks, woods - just a shame they don't have deer - could be SE London's Richmond Park. They have created a lake you can swim and kayak in now, but it's not started well and it's now banned for U8s.
From my childhood Richmond Park is No1 for me - used to go there as a kid and still go periodically now with mine. Ravenscourt Park I used to go and play football, tennis in and just meet friends. Regents Park when I was later, use to cycle up from S Bush Sunday mornings to play football there. Holland Park - adventure playground, always had someone injured swinging off that rope swing which would plant you back into the wooden ledge you'd just come off!
Others where I live now (SE London):
Brookmill Park - really small park, hardly a park, in Lewisham. But you can regularly see Kingfishers here - amazing.
Crystal Palace Park - Model Dinosaurs, small farm, great park all round.
Dulwich Park - Boating lake, lots of space, beautiful.
Blythe Hill Fields - great views over London - more of an open space on a hill overlooking London.
The Council and the Mayor have spent millions on Beckenham Place Park. Jocasta and Hugo at the Council created a new, very trendy and deep wild water swimming lake. However the locals treated it like a free swimming pool and it was swamped with people one of whom nearly drowned days after it opened (the Council hadn’t thought they’d need lifeguards).
This beautiful lake is now fenced off and patrolled by security! Someone really didn’t think this one through.
Greenwich Park because it reminds me of my childhood and my Dad...and it’s a beautiful park.
Whereabouts in Roehampton did you live?We were in Harbridge Ave,just off Danebury Ave.We moves there from Battersea in 1968 and I moved in 1984,but my mum was there until about 1996.
Never lived there mate but had close friends and family on the Alton Estate. Know Danebury Avenue well. The Alton center was my mums place to go to meet up with the other mums on a friday.
From my manor as many have already said, Richmond Park. Check out the protected view from King Henry's mound where St.Pauls looks like it's half a mile away. Going for a Sunday walk....then The Plough near Sheen Gate is your place for a gut-busting roast of immense quality. Needs booking well in advance.
From my manor as many have already said, Richmond Park. Check out the protected view from King Henry's mound where St.Pauls looks like it's half a mile away. Going for a Sunday walk....then The Plough near Sheen Gate is your place for a gut-busting roast of immense quality. Needs booking well in advance.
The Gunnersbury Triangle. Can be seen from the District line pulling into Gunnersbury station. The Triangle must be the smallest wildlife sanctuary in tue country.
The Scrubs (as well as the river) just about keeps me sane. To hit that wide open space after days of rattling around the narrow thoroughfares of RBKC & LBHF is intensely therapeutic.
Btw: Vermouth is derived from the German word Wermut which means Wormwood. Wormwood being one of the main herbal ingredients of Vermouth. Wormwood is also the name of an Apocalyptical star in the book of revelations which turns the worlds rivers bitter. The Russian word for Wormwood is Chernobyl ...
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